Compare · Head to head
GGPoker vs PokerStars
One banned the tracking software. The other has the lowest rake in the business. Which matters more depends on who you are.
For twenty years PokerStars was online poker. It's still the deepest single brand in the game, with the widest spread of stakes, the biggest tournament calendar and the most polished client. But GG Network has overtaken it on traffic, and GGPoker is now the biggest single site in the world. I play GG today and started my career on PokerStars — it was the first site I ever deposited on — so this is a comparison from the tables, not from two press kits.
At a glance
| GGPoker | PokerStars | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking software (HUDs) | Banned, actively enforced; solver tools too | Permitted within its rules |
| Cash rake | Higher caps ($3–$4 full ring); no rake on pots that end preflop | ~5% weighted contributed; lowest caps of the major rooms ($1–$3) |
| Fast-fold format | Rush & Cash | Zoom (up to 4 tables, ~1,000 hands/hour) |
| Recreational formats | Spin & Go, All-in or Fold, WSOP-branded online series | Spin & Go, Sunday Million, SCOOP, EPT live circuit |
| Loyalty program | Ocean Rewards, typically 20–40%, adjusted per player by PVI | Stars Rewards chests, ~15–60% by tier; opt-in |
| Deposits | Cards, Apple Pay, e-wallets, crypto (no GG fee); $1 withdrawal fee, ~24h | Cards, Skrill, Neteller, regional options; first three deposits matched |
| Peak traffic | Around the clock — Asia, Europe and the Americas overlap | European evenings |
| Where you can play | Worldwide via regional skins (Natural8, GGPoker UK, .ON…) | Blocked in many countries; separate .it/.fr/.pt/US instances |
Rake: PokerStars, clearly
On raw cost of playing, PokerStars wins at every stake below the nosebleeds. Its full-ring cap at NL2–NL50 is $1–$2 against GG's $3, and heads-up it's half GG's cap at the smallest stakes. GG's rake is simply on the higher side — it says so on its own room page here — and GG compensates with promotions rather than by cutting the number. Two things narrow the gap: GG takes nothing on hands that end preflop, and GG's Player Value Index can lower the effective rake for players it considers valuable (and raise it for those it doesn't). The full tables are on the rake comparison.
GGPoker caps
| Stakes | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5–9p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL2 – NL50 | $0.50 | $1.00 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
| NL100 – NL200 | $1.00 | $1.50 | $2.00 | $3.50 |
| NL500+ | $1.00 | $1.50 | $2.50 | $4.00 |
PokerStars caps
| Stakes | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5–9p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01/0.02 – $0.05/0.10 | $0.25 | $0.50 | $0.75 | $1.00 |
| $0.10/0.25 – $1/2 | $0.50 | $1.00 | $1.50 | $2.00 |
| $2/4+ | $1.00 | $1.50 | $2.00 | $3.00 |
The games: GG, for most people
This is where GG earns its higher rake. Because HUDs and solver-assisted play are banned and the ban is enforced, the regulars can't lean on a database of your tendencies, and the field stays noticeably softer than a comparable PokerStars table. Add formats designed for recreational players — Rush & Cash, All-in or Fold, the WSOP online series — and a player pool spread across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and there's genuinely no dead period: you can find weaker players at any hour. My own note on the GG page is that you still need to table-select harder than on lower-rake rooms, because the rake punishes marginal spots. But the opponents are there.
PokerStars' regular tables are still fine — its recreational marketing keeps the field softer than its size would suggest — but its Zoom pools are a different world. Four Zoom tables at once, tracking software on, roughly a thousand hands an hour against people doing exactly the same thing: some of the toughest games online. That is a feature if you want to improve fast or grind volume with a low rake behind you, and a trap if you're not ready for it.
Loyalty and rakeback
Both programs are tiered. Stars Rewards has the higher ceiling — up to 60% in Zoom and Spins for Select Plus members generating 100,000+ in annual rake — but you have to opt in, and most players sit far lower on the ladder. Ocean Rewards typically lands active players in the 20–40% range, with the caveat that PVI makes your number personal: tight winning regulars tend toward the low end, recreational-style play toward the high end. On both rooms a deal through TableFinder stacks on top of the room's program; the rakeback comparison has the detail.
Which one?
Pick GGPoker if…
- ✓ You want the softest games available on a major licensed room
- ✓ You don't use tracking software and don't want to face it
- ✓ You play at odd hours and want action at any time of day
- ✓ You like fast, casual formats or the WSOP online series
- ✓ You deposit and withdraw in crypto
Pick PokerStars if…
- ✓ Rake is your first filter — nobody major caps lower at small stakes
- ✓ You grind volume with a HUD and want Zoom's hands-per-hour
- ✓ You want the deepest tournament schedule and live-tour satellites
- ✓ You're in a regulated market it serves (.it, .fr, .pt, Ontario, US via FanDuel)
- ✓ You'll actually opt in and climb Stars Rewards
Which is bigger?
GG Network is now the largest network by traffic and GGPoker the largest single site. PokerStars is no longer as big as it was in its heyday but remains the deepest single brand, especially in the regulated European markets where it runs its own licensed instances.
Can I play both?
Yes, and many regulars do: GG for the softer games, PokerStars for cheap volume. There's no rule against holding an account on each — the rule you must never break is holding two accounts on the same room.
Which has better rakeback through TableFinder?
It depends on your market and volume, so I don't publish a single number. Ask me with your details and I'll tell you what's available on each, on top of the room's own program. Contact.